Winning it all is hard. Staying at the top is basically impossible. We just saw that play out in New Orleans last year when the Philadelphia Eagles didn't just beat the Kansas City Chiefs; they dismantled them. It was a 40-22 shellacking that killed the dream of a three-peat.
Honestly, looking back at super bowl winners each year, you realize how much of this history is built on luck, one-off miracles, and absolute heartbreaks. People think the best team always wins. They don't. Sometimes the better team gets punched in the mouth in the first quarter and never wakes up. That's exactly what happened to Mahomes and the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX.
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The Dynasty Killers and the Underdogs
Everyone talks about the Patriots. They talk about the 70s Steelers or the 90s Cowboys. But the real stories of super bowl winners each year are often about the teams that weren't supposed to be there.
Take Super Bowl III. You've heard of Joe Namath’s guarantee. The Baltimore Colts were 18-point favorites. Eighteen! In today's betting world, that’s an insult. But the Jets won 16-7. It wasn’t just a game; it was the moment the AFL proved it wasn't a "junior" league.
Then you have the 2007 Giants. The Patriots were 18-0. They were perfect. Until they weren't. David Tyree catches a ball against his helmet, Eli Manning escapes a sack that should have ended the game, and suddenly the "Greatest Team Ever" is just a footnote in a underdog's highlight reel.
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A Timeline of Champions
If you're trying to track the lineage of the Lombardi trophy, you have to look at the shifts in how the game is played. In the early days, it was all about the "Green Bay Sweep." Vince Lombardi’s Packers took the first two titles (1967 and 1968) by basically out-muscling everyone.
- The 70s belonged to the Steel Curtain and the Dolphins. Miami’s 1972 season remains the only perfect run in history. Think about that. Over 50 years and nobody has done it again.
- The 80s were the West Coast Offense era. Bill Walsh and Joe Montana turned the 49ers into a machine. They won four in that decade.
- The 90s saw the Cowboys dominate before John Elway finally got his rings in '98 and '99.
The 2000s and 2010s were essentially the Tom Brady Invitational. Whether it was the early defensive-led wins or the high-flying comebacks—like being down 28-3 against Atlanta in Super Bowl LI—the Patriots redefined what "winning" looked like.
Why Super Bowl Winners Each Year Keep Changing
Why can't anyone three-peat? The Chiefs were the closest we’ve seen in the modern era. They had the best quarterback, a legendary coach in Andy Reid, and a defense that actually showed up. But in February 2025, Jalen Hurts and a ferocious Eagles pass rush proved that the "weight" of history is real.
The Eagles sacked Mahomes six times. Six. They didn't even have to blitz. That's the secret sauce of super bowl winners each year—the ability to win the line of scrimmage when the lights are the brightest.
Here is a look at the most recent champions to refresh your memory:
- Super Bowl LIX (2025): Philadelphia Eagles 40, Kansas City Chiefs 22.
- Super Bowl LVIII (2024): Kansas City Chiefs 25, San Francisco 49ers 22 (OT).
- Super Bowl LVII (2023): Kansas City Chiefs 38, Philadelphia Eagles 35.
- Super Bowl LVI (2022): Los Angeles Rams 23, Cincinnati Bengals 20.
- Super Bowl LV (2021): Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31, Kansas City Chiefs 9.
Common Misconceptions About the Big Game
A lot of fans think the Super Bowl MVP is always the quarterback. Usually? Yeah. But some of the most iconic super bowl winners each year were carried by guys like Terrell Davis, who rushed for 157 yards and 3 TDs while suffering from a massive migraine in Super Bowl XXXII. Or Malcolm Smith, a linebacker who took over Super Bowl XLVIII for the Seahawks.
Also, home-field advantage doesn't really exist here, even though the Bucs and Rams recently won in their own stadiums. It's a neutral site circus. The halftime show, the commercials, the two-week buildup—it breaks most players' routines. The winners are usually the ones who can handle the "noise" without tripping over it.
Lessons from the History Books
If you're looking for a pattern, stop. There isn't one. The NFL is designed for parity. The salary cap and the draft are literally built to stop dynasties from happening. That's why what the Chiefs did—making three straight appearances—is so statistically improbable.
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If you want to understand the game better, don't just look at the scores. Look at the turnovers. In Super Bowl III, the Colts turned it over five times. In Super Bowl LIX, Mahomes had three turnovers, including a back-breaking pick-six to Cooper DeJean on his 22nd birthday.
Next Steps for Fans:
- Check the Injury Reports early: Most Super Bowls are won by the healthier team, not necessarily the more talented one.
- Study the Trenches: Don't watch the ball. Watch the offensive line. If a quarterback is getting hit in under 2.5 seconds, his stats won't matter.
- Revisit the Classics: Go back and watch Super Bowl XXV (Giants vs. Bills). It’s the masterclass in how a defensive game plan can neutralize a "K-Gun" no-huddle offense.